HerStory Archive

Jane M'ILWAIN

Jane M’Il­wain, first female tele­phon­ist, was appoint­ed by acci­dent at Glad­stone, Queens­land, in 1882.

Mientje Adriana Anthonius Septimus MAAS

Born 1923

Also known as: Miki, Mikie

Mem­ber of the Dutch Under­ground Resis­tance Move­ment dur­ing World War II.
Engaged by Dutch Gov­ern­ment to enter­tain troops in Dutch East Indies (Indone­sia).
Met and mar­ried hus­band, Max,…

Mary Helen MAC KILLOP

Born 15/1/1842, Died 8/8/1909

17 Oct 2010 — Aus­trali­a’s first Catholic saint — Saint Mary MacKil­lop of the Cross — Can­on­ized in Vat­i­can City by Pope Bene­dict XVI.
2001 Vic­to­ri­an Hon­our Roll of Women.…

Eliza Elizabeth MacARTHUR-ONSLOW

Born 8/5/1840, Died 2/8/1911

Also known as: née MacArthur

Found­ed co-oper­a­tive dairy and cream­ery for share­farm­ers on ​“Cam­den Park.”
Plant­ed Mul­ber­ry trees to estab­lish silk grow­ing indus­try for farmer’s daugh­ters on…

Elizabeth MacARTHUR

Born 14 August 1766, Died 9 February 1850

Also known as: née Veale

Co-Founder of the Aus­tralian Wool Indus­try. With hus­band John, estab­lished ​“Eliz­a­beth Farm” at Par­ra­mat­ta, Syd­ney, New South Wales.Imported meri­no sheep from Cape o Good…

Emily MacARTHUR

Born 26/2/1806, Died 27/11/1880

Also known as: née Stone, E. M. Fecit, Amelia MacArthur, Amelia Stone, Emily Stone

Wife of James MacArthur (son of Eliz­a­beth and John Macarthur). Con­tin­ued work on ​“Cam­den Park” with husband.
Taught farm chil­dren (free and con­vict) at school estab­lished by…

Joan MacCORMAC

Also known as: née Waterton

Writ­ten on the back of the draw­ing: Short-term member.

Louisa MacDONALD

Born 10/12/1858, Died 28/11/1949

The first female prin­ci­pal of the Uni­ver­si­ty of Syd­ney’s Wom­en’s Col­lege from 1892 – 1919 (cho­sen from 65 appli­cants.), she was also the first woman to stand for this…

Maxine MacDONALD

Also known as: née Darrow, Mrs Mac

The dri­ving force behind the Kim­ber­ley’s Fos­sil Downs Sta­tion. When her hus­band Bill died in 1963, she car­ried on sin­gle­hand­ed­ly man­ag­ing the station.

Before marriage,…

Elizabeth MacFARRELL

1846 — First woman news­pa­per edi­tor in Aus­tralia, Perth Gazette.

Frances MACK

Born 1922

Also known as: née Rowe

Pio­neer of Vic­to­ria and New South Wales dur­ing The Depres­sion and war years.

Marie Louise Hamilton MACK

Born 10/10/1870, Died 23/11/1935

Also known as: née Mack, registered as Mary Louisa, Louise Creed, Gouli Gouli, Louise Leyland, Mary Mack

1914 — First woman war cor­re­spon­dent, Bel­gium, report­ing for the Evening News and the Dai­ly Mail.

Late 1880s — Con­trib­u­tor to The Bul­letin, an Aus­tralian mag­a­zine, Sydney.1896…

Isobel Marion Dorothea MacKELLAR

Born 1/7/1885, Died 1968

Also known as: Dorothea

Author the poem ​“My Coun­try” and oth­ers includ­ing ​“The Closed Door,”, ​“The Witch Maid,” ​“Dream Har­bour,” and ​“Fan­cy Dress.” Also…

E. J. M. MacKENZIE

1876 — First female Super­in­ten­dent of Chil­dren’s Hos­pi­tal, King William Street, Ade­laide South Australia.

Evelyn Beatrice MacKENZIE

Also known as: Eveline

1894 — Won the first Aus­tralian wom­en’s golf cham­pi­onship — Gee­long, Victoria.

1895, 1896, 1898 — She won the state champion.

Myra MacKENZIE

Born 1881, Died 1969

Also known as: née Rendle

1899 — First qual­i­fied female den­tist in Queens­land (prac­tic­ing Bris­bane 1899, reg­is­tered 1903).

Sarah Ann MacKERETH

Born 1819, Died 1882

Also known as: née O'Brien

Pio­neer of South Aus­tralia and Mount Lofty Range District.

Babs MacKINNON

2004 — Received Order of Aus­tralia, for her con­tri­bu­tion to Aus­tralian Entertainment.

Part of ​“The Musi­cal Macks” (from age 2) — fam­i­ly enter­tain­ment at stage shows…

Gracemary MacKINNON

Born 1911, Died 20/12/1994

Exec­u­tive and Pub­lic Ser­vant. 1940 — sec­re­tary to Aus­tralian Wool Board Sec­re­tari­at; 1961 until retire­ment in 1971 — sec­re­tary to Inter­na­tion­al Wool Sec­re­tari­at; 1 of only 3 women…

Mary Jane MacKINNON

Born 05/02/1881, Died 19/09/1964

Also known as: née Walsh, Jane

Wife of a drover and stock deal­er. Lived at Gov­ern­ment Bore on Char­lotte Waters Tele­graph Sta­tion where hus­band sup­plied water for camel trains between Maree and Alice Springs. Mary…

Jenny MACKLIN

Ella Annie Noble MacKNIGHT

Born 1904, Died 1/4/1997

First woman to serve on the Asian Fed­er­a­tion of Obstet­rics & Gynae­col­o­gy in 1965, she was also first female pres­i­dent of the Aus­tralian Coun­cil of the Roy­al Col­lege of Obstetrics…

Catherine MacLEAN

Joan MacLEAN

Born 23/12/1909, Died 5/2003

Also known as: née Alborough

1939 – 1940 — Aus­tralian Inland Mis­sion (A.I.M.) nurse at Mar­ble Bar Hos­pi­tal, West­ern Australia.

Joan, with hus­band Bill and three chil­dren moved to Ten­nant Creek in the late…

Diana MacMULLIN

South­ern Region­al Man­ag­er, Cham­ber of Commerce.

Annie Jean MACNAMARA

Born 1/4/1899, Died 13/10/1968

Also known as: Jean, Jean Connor

First woman Res­i­dent Med­ical Offi­cer at Roy­al Chil­dren’s Hos­pi­tal, Melbourne.

In May 1923 Jean, with high rec­om­men­da­tions, was appoint­ed res­i­dent at the (Roy­al) Children’s…

Christina Rutherford MacPHERSON

Born 19/06/1864, Died 27/03/1936

Also known as: McPherson

Christi­na McPher­son played the zither/​autoharp. Ban­jo Pater­son heard her play her rec­ol­lec­tion of the Craigielee March she had heard at War­nam­bool. While Christi­na played, he wrote…

Elizabeth MacRAE

Pio­neer woman farmer/​drover in West­ern Aus­tralia and South Australia.

Judy MADDIGAN

Sarah MADDOCK

Born 29/10/1860, Died 9/9/1955

Also known as: née Porter, Mrs E.A. Maddock

1893 — First Aus­tralian woman to achieve a long dis­tance cycle ride from Syd­ney to bega.
1894 — First woman to cycle from Syd­ney to Melbourne.

Berna Jean MADILL

Born 30 December 1923

One of Aus­trali­a’s first female gynae­col­o­gists and obstetricians.

1960 — Com­plet­ed med­ical stud­ies, Mel­bourne University.Worked at McBrides Hos­pi­tal for Women and Alice…

Susan MAGAREY

Mary MAGEE

Kathleen Mary MAHONY

Born 8/1/1908, Died 30/04/2003

Also known as: née O'Shea, Kath

Pio­neer as police­man’s wife at Rop­er Riv­er, Lake Nash, Arl­tun­ga, and Antho­ny’s Lagoon. Man­agers of Lar­rimah Hotel, North­ern Ter­ri­to­ry (owned by O’Shea family -…

Marie MAHOOD

Died 03/2009

Co-founder, with hus­band, of prop­er­ty ​“Mon­grel Downs” North­ern Ter­ri­to­ry near West­ern Aus­tralian bor­der in Tana­mi Desert.
Journalist.
Author of ​“Bleat­ing Around The…

Wirginia June MAIXNER

Born 28/6/1963

2007 — Per­formed the first audi­to­ry brain­stem implant on a child in Australasia.
2009 — Sep­a­ra­tion of con­joined twins.

1986 — Grad­u­at­ed Uni­ver­si­ty of Syd­ney’s School of…

Norma MALE

Alice Maud MANFIELD

Born 9/9/1878, Died 14/7/1960

Also known as: née Manfield

Pio­neer of Mt Buf­fa­lo district.
​“Guide Alice” con­duct­ed guid­ed tours in Mt Buf­fa­lo Nation­al Park.

Margaret MANION

Ida Caroline MANN

Born 6 February 1893, Died 19 November 1983

Also known as: née Mann, Caroline Gye (pseudonym), Ida Gye (married name)

1949 — First per­son to diag­nose Tra­choma epi­dem­ic in Indige­nous pop­u­la­tion in the Kim­ber­ley area of West­ern Australia.

Eleanor MANNING

Born 21/3/1906, Died 21/11/1986

1959 — Appoint­ed an Offi­cer to the Order of the British Empire, ser­vices as Chief Com­mis­sion­er of the Girl Guides Asso­ci­a­tion of Australia.

Pio­neer in Girl Guides.1955 – 1962 -…

Nancy MANTHORPE

Born 1929

Also known as: Nan

An avi­a­trix on the muse­um’s Avi­a­trix Tapestry.

Susan MARAWARR

Born 1967

Abo­rig­i­nal print­mak­er, sculp­tor, weaver and bark painter; exhib­it­ed through­out Aus­tralia, toured USA, with exhi­bi­tion in 2001.

Her work is held in many nation­al collections…

Mary MARINAN

Born 1853, Died 1938

Also known as: née Ryan, Married name of MARRINAN later spelled MARINAN.

Pio­neer in Cootamundra/​Wallendbeen Dis­tricts, New South Wales.

Elizabeth Nesta MARKS

Born 28 April 1918, Died 25 October 2002

Also known as: Pat, Patricia

An Aus­tralian ento­mol­o­gist who described 38 new mos­qui­to species, as well as new species of fruit flies, bugs, cock­roach­es, and ticks.

1938 — Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Zoology,…

Pauline MARKWELL

Fay Surtees MARLES

Susan Jean MARONEY

Born 15/11/1974

Also known as: Susie

1989 — She became the youngest per­son and fastest Aus­tralian to swim the Eng­lish Channel.
1991 — She was the fastest per­son to com­plete a return swim across the Channel.
1991, 1992,…

Ann MARSHALL

Born 27/12/1909, Died 7/3/2001

Also known as: née Nichols

1940 – 50 — Instru­men­tal in estab­lish­ing Geog­ra­phy Depart­ment at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Adelaide.
1940 — Part-time lec­tur­er in Geog­ra­phy Department.
1951 — Full-time appointment.
1958 — The…

Loma MARSHALL

Born 1928

Pio­neer drover between New South Wales and Vic­to­ria on Cobb Highway.